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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I have survived another year, and it still hasn't hit me. This was the hardest one so far, discipline-wise. It's getting harder to teach, because I spend more time on manners and behavior every year. The parents seem to be getting younger, and depending on us more and more for the raising of their children. I wonder what next year will bring? Our school will be even bigger population-wise, so I anticipate more discipline issues. Sigh. I don't want to think about that right now.

My little buddy graduated from kindergarten today. There was a big ceremony in his school's cafeteria/gym/auditorium, with all six kindergarten classes. Each student walked up to the principal while his/her favorite food, favorite activity, and career aspiration were announced. Zach's class was last, and he was visibly bored during the presentation. There were many loud yawns, waving of his hat, and faces made. I kept waiting for him to get out of his chair and lie on the floor. He made it, though, and I cringed in anticipation of his biographical information. It wasn't bad, though: his favorite food was "little hot dogs with little buns", his favorite activity was playing with his Piston Cup 500 race track from the movie Cars, and he wants to be a Nascar driver when he grows up. One boy wanted to be a king, and one simply wanted to be a teenager. So, I guess Zach didn't have such an odd response to the questions.

Tomorrow is a workday for me, where I have to finish packing up my classroom for the summer, and we have a luncheon for the four lucky retiring teachers. I don't have much left to do in my classroom, and I expect to spend most of the morning socializing. It should be fun.

We are off on vacation on Saturday. The boys (my dad, Darren, Zach, and brother-in-law Kevin) are driving an RV on Route 66 to Phoenix, and the girls (mom, Natalie, and me) are flying to Boston. From there, we are going to spend a few days in New Hampshire with some friends, then drive down to Newport for three days. I am excited, but have a lot to accomplish between now and the time we leave. I am having the grass cut tomorrow, and Friday is set aside for laundry, cleaning, packing, and interviewing the pet sitter. Sleep is for wimps!

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Wow, this year is flying by. And, I am managing to document less and less of our lives on here. I feel like I have finally re-joined the land of the living this week, because I am finally feeling well enough to do more than work, then come home and sit on the couch. I even cooked a meal this week with raw meat, and that is saying a lot. I saw a recipe on another blog and had to try it. That is the first time food has appealed to me in a while. Let's hope that this continues!

Since I last posted, I convinced Darren to buy the new car that I wanted. It didn't take a huge amount of coercion, and we both are in love with it. It drives like a dream, and my favorite feature is the hands-free phone with the lady who talks to me. I wholeheartedly recommend checking out the Mazda CX-9 if you are in the market for a car with three rows of seats!

We went to Lafayette for Easter weekend. Darren was off for Good Friday, and Zach and I were supposed to be, but it ended up being a bad weather make-up day for our district. Zach and I both played hooky that day so that we could get to Lafayette for my parents' annual crawfish and shrimp boil. I felt so bad all weekend that I didn't eat much, but what I had, I enjoyed. That week, my doctor had put me on anti-nausea medication that is given to cancer patients, and one of the unfortunate side effects is constipation and stomach cramps. That lasted for almost a week, until I decided that the nausea was the better option.

That Saturday, Darren's family gathered at his aunt's home in Jeanerette. It was the first time we had gotten so many of his family members together in years, and everyone had a great time. The kids dyed Easter eggs, and the grown-ups took pictures and chatted. There was some really good food, but it was hard for me to enjoy.

Sunday, my aunt and uncle and cousins from Florida came to Mom and Dad's for lunch and an egg hunt. They took off pretty quickly after we ate, and I was a little disappointed at how little time we got to spend with them. I think they were afraid that my son's bad behavior would rub off on their son.

April 20 and 21st was the MS 150. Darren left at some god-awful early time, and we packed up and headed to LaGrange around 8:30. Mom and Dad came with Zach and me this year, and we had a really good time. It wasn't too hot or sunny, and Darren, Sean and Jamie all did a great job. We spent the night in Austin in a hotel, then went out to the finish line pretty early on Sunday. It was a long afternoon, waiting for Jamie to come in, and everyone except Dad slept on the way home from Austin. I had an awful sinus infection, so breathing was quite a chore for me all weekend.

Last weekend, we went back to Lafayette for Festival International. Darren's last day at his old job was Friday, so I took the afternoon off and we got on the road early. Darren and I went and walked around at the festival Friday night, then went back with Dad and Zach Saturday morning. We spent the afternoon on a quest for boudin balls, which I was craving, then went back out to the festival Saturday night to hear a band. It was a great weekend, and we got to hang out with several old friends as well as Darren's sister Kathleen.

Tuesday, I had my ultrasound at the hospital. At first, they didn't want to do it, because the tech said I wasn't far enough along to tell the sex and see all of the organs. Since my OB had scheduled the appointment, she reluctantly agreed to do the ultrasound. All of the measurements of the baby's bones and organs took forever, then she went to get Zach and Darren so that we could find out the sex. It seems pretty clear that we are having a GIRL! I am so excited! Her name is going to be Zoe, my original girl name, and her middle name will be Jacqueline, for Darren's aunt Jackie who raised him. We're going to pronounce her middle name using the French pronunciation "Zjockleen". I have only bought three girl outfits this week, and am exercising a great deal of self-control.

We have 17 days left of school, and I can't wait for it to be over. I have big plans, as usual, this summer, to get the house under control. Our summer will be the longest one ever, because school is going to start later in August this year. The boys are headed on a route 66 trip in an RV in June, and Mom, Natalie, and I are going to tour Boston, New Hampshire, and Newport for a week. I am trying to schedule a lot of activities for Zach this summer, so that he doesn't get bored, and then maybe when we're home he'll leave me alone so that I can clean and organize the house. We are going to do VBS at a Methodist church, Cub Scout camp for a week (I have to go to that with him), and two weeks of swim lessons. If I can find anything else to do, we'll do it. Besides that, we'll get pool passes again. I am going to quit selling Creative Memories, so I am going to try to sell off some of my excess product once I go inactive. As usual, we'll see what I actually accomplish. Maybe if I focus on a room a week....